Professor Parvaneh Vosough, angel of Iran's Cancer Children, passes away

- Everyone in Mozaffar Street loved Mrs. Professor's Green Volkswagen bug; a symbol which would appear in the vicinity of Ali Asghar Hospital, making evident the presence of a woman who had dedicated her life to cancer-suffering children; who abandoned her residence in Europe to live beside cancer-suffering children in Iran and to help them. - 5/21/13

Iran's medicine imports fall by 54 percent

- Iran imported $34.2 million worth of medicine in the first Iranian calendar month of Farvardin (March 21-April 20), down 54.7 percent year on year. In November 2012, the health ministry of Iran called the Central Bank to earmark $2 billion for importing medicine to cope with the domestic shortage as a result of international sanctions. - 5/21/13

Iran transplants aortic valve in sheep's heart

- Iran has embarked on conducting several important research plans on different medical and veterinary domains since last year, one of which is transplanting human's aortic valve to several sheep, said Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution Mokhber Dezfouli. - 5/14/13

Iran's first locally-made influenza vaccine to hit market

- Iran will mass produce the first locally-made influenza vaccine for the first time in 2013, said Iranian Deputy Health Minister for Research and Technology Mostafa Qaneyee. "One of the most important vaccines being produced by Iranian researchers is influenza vaccine y using SPF eggs. The product will hit the market this year," Qaneyee said. - 5/13/13

Iran allocates $157m to import medicine, medial equipment

- Iran has allocated $157 million to import medicine and medical equipment since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21), IRNA reported, citing a statement by the Central Bank. Some $1.6 billion has also been allocated to import staple foods, the report added. - 5/9/13

Inhumanity and Illegality of Sanctions Justify Iran's Response

- Sanctions against Iran have negatively impacted the lives of the Iranian people, and they continue to do so despite lacking a legal foundation. If we recognize the inhumanity and illegality of sanctions, we can better understand the Iranian government's response to them. -Mahmoud Reza Golshanpazhooh - 5/9/13

3 Million Newborns Die Within First Month

- The humanitarian organization Save the Children has released its annual State of the World's Mothers report. It says despite much progress being made in reducing maternal and child deaths, every year, three million babies die within the first month of life. Many just live a few hours. -Joe DeCapua, VOA - 5/7/13

Iran's Former Health Minister Warns Of Drug Price Crisis

- Former Iranian Health Minister Marzieh Dastjerdi has warned that the surging increase in the price of medical drugs will soon surpass 100 percent unless the government provides subsidized foreign currency for its purchase. - 5/1/13

Iranian researchers building artificial heart

- President of the University of Mashhad Medical Sciences said researchers at the university are building artificial heart for the first time in the country, describing it as a "key achievement" for Iranian scientists. - 4/27/13

Rising price leads Iranians to drink less milk

- The head of dairy syndicates, Mohammadreza Esmaili, reports that the scrapping of government subsidies has led to a price increase of 40 to 60 percent, which in turn has led to this fall in milk consumption. - 4/27/13

Is the Hijab Responsible for Iran's Spike in MS Cases?

- Multiple sclerosis has skyrocketed in Tehran, increasing almost sevenfold between 1989 and 2005. In Iran's central province of Isfahan, the incidence nearly tripled from 2005 to 2009. Now Oxford University researchers suggest, for the first time, that the 1979 Iranian Revolution may deserve some of the blame for the extraordinary jump. -Libby Copeland, Smithsonian magazine - 4/24/13

Iranian doctor greatest world woman inventor in 2013

- Dr. Zahra Alizadeh Thani, an Iranian doctor from Mashad Medical Science University received the award of the greatest world woman inventor in Geneva International Festival for Inventions in year 2013. - 4/17/13

New Study Finds 7,000 Unlicensed Surgeons Performing Nose Jobs in Iran, Rhinoplasty Metropolis Of The World

- In all, more than 200,000 nose jobs are performed on Iranians each year. According to the reports, women as young as fourteen undergo rhinoplasties in Iran in hopes of achieving the same nasal beauty associated with famous Hollywood A-listers in America. -Babak Azizzadeh, MD, FACS - 4/1/13

Drug shortage to force closure of Iranian operating rooms

- The head of the Anesthesia and Special Care Association of Iran has warned that a number of operating rooms in various Iranian hospitals are facing closure due to a shortage of anesthesia. Mohammad Mehdi Ghiamat said: "With the approach of the New Year holidays, only emergency cases can be taken to operating rooms, and the situation for other patients will remain unclear." - 3/13/13

Iran Parliament Calls For End To Medical Drug Delays

- Iranian Parliament has called on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to immediately free up the drugs that have been stalled in customs and allow them entry into the market. Iran has been facing serious drug shortages in recent months due to a lack of foreign currency, as international sanctions on Iranian banks have restricted financial transactions and the import of medical drugs. - 3/9/13

Blocking Medicine to Iran

- Patients in Iran are dying of treatable diseases because of shortages in life-saving medicines. The past year has been nothing short of catastrophic for the Iranian health-care sector: Imports from American and European drug makers in 2012 were down by an estimated 30 percent since 2011, and they continue to fall. -Siamak Namazi, NY Times - 3/4/13

Photos: The first successful hand transplant surgery in Middle East performed in Tehran

- Members of the Tehran's 15th Khordad Hospital surgery team have successfully completed hand transplant surgery during 8.5 hours of breathtaking procedure. "In this transplant operation, the wrist of a 25 years old young brain dead person was transplanted to a 37 years old man who had lost his hand 6 years ago in an accident while using a meat grinder." - 2/28/13

Iran ranks fifth in orthopedic sciences

- Head of Iranian Orthopaedic Association Gholamali Akasheh Friday said Iran has attained the fifth international place in the field of orthopedic sciences and it is among the superior Asian countries in this medical field. - 2/24/13

Iran is cooperating in global Human Proteome Project

- A researcher of Royan Research Institute said here Saturday Iran is cooperating with 19 developed countries in the global Human Proteome Project (HPP) in the fields of medicine and science. - 2/23/13

Medicine at Center of Debate as Iran Sanctions Tighten

- Earlier this month, the U.S. government announced tighter sanctions on Iran. In particular, the actions would further limit Iran's access to oil revenues "by restricting Iran's ability to use oil revenue held in foreign financial institutions as well as preventing repatriation of those funds to Iran." -Negar Mortazavi, VOA - 2/14/13

Report: Sanctions Are Primary Cause of Iranian Medicine Shortage

- Sanctions imposed by the West are the leading cause of medicine shortages in Iran according to a report published by the Woodrow Wilson Center. While the report points to structural problems in Iran's pharmaceutical sector as well as mismanagement and corruption by the Iranian government as contributing factors, it determines that these are far outweighed by the consequences of American and European sanctions. -Nadia Hakim - 2/13/13

U.S. Iran Sanctions Exempt Food, Medicine, Remittances

- According to a February 6 press release from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), under U.S. law the sale and export of nearly all types of food and medicine, as well as basic medical supplies, are "broadly authorized," and other types of U.S. humanitarian exports can gain authorization through a license from OFAC. -IIP Digital - 2/11/13

US Medicine Exports to Iran Drops By 50 Percent: Official Data

- The release of official US statistics came despite the claims by certain American officials that they "have tried to sanction Iran without unduly harming ordinary Iranians, granting licenses, for example, to US companies that wish to export pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food and other humanitarian goods to Iran". - 2/11/13

Iran establishes first umbilical cord blood bank abroad

- Iran has launched the first umbilical cord blood bank in collaboration with Royan Research Institute in Iraqi province of Erbil. - 1/28/13

Iranian cancer specialist warns of rising wave

- The head of the Iran Cancer Conference says "environmental pollution, rising obesity, a lack of activity and unhealthy living habits" are hitting Iran with a rising wave of cancer cases. - 1/25/13

Photos: Biking for Environment in Qaemshahr

- Residents of the city of Qaemshahr in northern Iran held a group cycling event in order to promote clean air and a healthy living. In recent years pollution has been a recurring problem for major cities in Iran, and this a major source of health concerns for the residents. - 1/18/13

Iranian car companies warn of dangerous gas mix

- The Association of Iranian Car Manufacturers has warned the Environment Organization that using gasoline that is 35 percent methanol can be seriously harmful to people's health and can also cause car fires. Iran's Oil Ministry previously had announced its plan to produce gasoline that is 35 percent methanol. - 1/17/13

Iran unable to get life-saving drugs due to international sanctions

- Hundreds of thousands of Iranians with serious illnesses have been put at imminent risk by the unintended consequences of international sanctions, which have led to dire shortages of life-saving medicines such as chemotherapy drugs for cancer and bloodclotting agents for haemophiliacs. -Guardian - 1/14/13

Iranian drug statistics at all-time high

- Iranian police statistics reveal that 652 new drug-related cases are created every day and 30 people are arrested every hour on drug-related charges. The Mehr news agency reported on Saturday January 12 on the unprecedented prevalence of drugs in the country, citing the latest statistics released by the police department. - 1/13/13

Iranian researchers reconstruct defected mandible using brain death bones, cell therapy

- Researchers at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences have reconstructed the mandible using bones from brain death patients and stem cells. Dr. Mehdi Gholami, project manager, told Mehr News about the common procedures for mandible reconstruction and added "for the reconstruction of major mandibular defects, usually the hip bone is used which causes problems when walking. - 1/13/13

Iranian MP blames gasoline for cancer rise among children

- An Iranian Member of Parliament has warned that the gasoline produced in the country is having many adverse effects on Iranian children, giving rise to numerous forms of cancer at an early age. - 1/9/13

Photos: Cupping and Leeching Alternative Medicine Practices

- These photos show the alternative medicine practices of cupping and Leeching in Bojnourd, Iran. Alternative medicine is practiced widely in Iran. In fact, Tehran University of Medical Sciences has a Faculty of Traditional Medicine. Also, there are organizations and websites active in this field including Traditional Iranian Medical Society and the Traditional Iranian Medical Reference Website - 1/7/13

Tehran citizens paying price for failure to address air pollution problem

- Heavy smog brought Tehran to a standstill on Saturday, closing government offices, universities, and schools, and consequently disrupting citizens' plans, not to mention the adverse health effects of the situation. - 1/7/13

4460 deaths due to Tehran's air pollution

- Hassan Aghajani, an advisor to the Minister of Health, said on Saturday there has been an increase of 30% in heart patients visiting hospitals over the last few days. He said in the last Iranian year, about 4460 deaths in Tehran were due to harmful particles in the air. - 1/5/13

Iranian Police Makes Largest-Ever Morphine Discovery

- The Iranian Law Enforcement Police intercepted a large morphine cargo en route from the Southeastern province of Kerman to the country's Western borders and seized over 1.5 tons of morphine. - 1/5/13

Air Pollution Triggers Tehran Shutdown

- Officials in Tehran have ordered schools, universities, government offices, and other institutions to close on January 5 because of high air pollution in the Iranian capital. - 1/4/13

A 'modern miracle': Navy vet's arm reattached after workplace injury

- Reid's left arm was severed in August of 2011 in a workplace accident in Gilmer, Texas. Seven hours had passed before Reid met Dr. Bardia Amirlak, a UT Southwestern plastic surgeon on-call as part of the hand transplant team. -WFAA - 1/4/13

Iran Keen to Import Drugs from India

- According to sources, it is understood the Iranian Health Ministry had expressed its interest to import some 28 different varieties of medicinal drugs ranging from tables, capsules, solutions and injectables of variable quantities from the Indian suppliers. - 1/3/13

Iran's Health Ministry Qualifies 2nd Nano-Based Medicine for Production

- Based on the approval of Nanotechnology Committee of Iran's Health Ministry, the second medicine based on nanotechnology was approved for presentation to the market. The medicine, containing nanographite, has been produced under the title Carboncelium Complex by one of the Iranian companies, and it has applications as topical ointment in burn wounds. - 1/2/13

Photos: Tehran's air pollution reaches alarming level

- Tehran's emergency air pollution coordination committee held a meeting on Monday to assess the situation and take the measures necessary to reduce pollution. The committee decided to close elementary schools and daycare centers on Tuesday and Wednesday due to heavy air pollution. - 1/1/13

Iran: Supreme Leader advises officials to pay due attention to health sector

- Vahid-Dastjerdi, the only women who ever served as a minister since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, was dismissed shortly after she publicly criticized the government's response to the shortage of vital medicine and said that not enough foreign currency had been allocated for the import of medicine. - 1/1/13

Iran's Environmental Official Warns Of Rising Cancer Incidence

- Massomeh Ebtekar, the head of the Tehran Environmental Committee, announced that patients are being diagnosed with cancer at a younger age. Ebtekar told ILNA: "Air and soil pollution and the effects of [electromagnetic waves] are all contributing to a rise in diseases." - 12/29/12

Iranian researchers take giant leap forward prostate and lung cancer treatment

- Researchers in Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Unit, have developed a method for prostate and lung cancer treatment through combining nuclear, radio-isotope and nano-technology. - 12/29/12

Iranian Health Minister Dismissed for Critical Remarks

- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on December 27 dismissed his only female cabinet minister, Health Minister Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, after she criticized her colleagues for failing to provide funds to import vital medicines. - 12/27/12

Infants in full health after PGD at Avicenna Clinic in Tehran

- Dr. Mohammad Hussein Modarresi, Geneticist and member of the specialist team at Avicenna Recurrent Abortion Clinic, stated that the first healthy infant was born from parents with thalassemia minor in 2009 via PGD methods, and the second was born in 2011 in Avicenna Subspecialty Clinic, both in full health now. - 12/23/12

Deaths from alcohol soar in Iran

- In the past seven months, 102 people have died in Iran due to alcohol poisoning, Iranian media report. - 12/23/12

Environmental leader warns of deaths from pollution

- The head of the Environmental and Sustainable Development Organization in Tehran says 45,000 Iranians die each year from complications caused by air pollution all across the country. - 12/22/12

3rd International Conference on Health Tourism opens in Mashhad

- The third Conference on Health Tourism in Islamic Courtiers kicked off in Razavi Hospital in the northeastern provincial capital city of Mashhad on Tuesday. - 12/18/12

Iranian scientists use microchips to help spinally impaired walk

- Scientists at the Neural Technology Center of the University of Science and Technology of Iran made standing and walking possible for patients with impaired spinal cord by producing a microcomputer. - 12/17/12

Photos: School fire victims in Urmia Hospital

- A number of girl students burned in a fire at an elementary school in the village of Shin Abad in the city of Piranshahr, northwestern Iran, on December 5, are receiving medical treatments in Urmia Hospital, West Azerbaijan Province. - 12/12/12

Iran seizes over 10 tons of opium

- The Iranian police have seized a large shipment of illicit drugs weighing 11 tons and 39 kilograms in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan after a 36-hour clash with smugglers, the commander of Iran's National Border announced during a press conference on Saturday. - 12/9/12

Iranian Health Minister calls for medication money

- The Iranian Health Minister has called on the Central Bank to provide the necessary foreign currency to import urgently needed medical drugs and equipment into the country. - 12/8/12

Iranian NGO receives Red Ribbon Award for AIDS work

- The 2012 Red Ribbon Award prize of dlrs 10,000 was handed over to Afraye Sabz Association for its outstanding work in response to HIV at the community level. - 12/6/12

Photos: Tehran shuts schools, offices amid pollution

- It's a typical scene these days in Tehran, where air pollution has forced the government to shut down schools, universities and offices for at least two days. Some blame the government for not fulfilling its environmental responsibilities. Others blame dilapidated cars, substandard fuel and polluting industries. - 12/4/12

Figures reveal extent of Iranian sex-change surgeries

- State medical records indicate that from 2006 to 2010, 1,366 Iranians acquired permits to undergo sex change operations. - 12/4/12

Photos: Air pollution approaching critical stages in Tehran

- The head of Tehran's air-quality control announced on Monday that the capital's air quality has reached the warning stage, and the section of the city known as Shahr Rey, with the most polluted air today, is steps away from reaching emergency levels. - 12/3/12

Iran Unveils Several Achievements in Bank of Biological Compounds

- The advancements included a new antibiotic named Persimicin, Persiherbin herbicide, double-vial and single-vial storage ampoules and different weeds to maintain microorganism. - 11/15/12

Iranian boy dies due to medication shortage

- A 15-year-old hemophiliac boy has reportedly died in Iran due to a shortage of medication in the country. - 11/14/12

Iran, Denmark launch cooperation in controlling diabetes

- Chancellor of Tehran Medical Sciences University Bagher Larijani said Wednesday that the university signed a cooperation agreement on prevention and curbing diabetes with a complex procedure of treating the disease in the EU. - 11/14/12

MP raises alarm over medical drugs shortage

- An Iranian MP announced today that the country's shortage of medical drugs has reached a critical point, and reserves will be depleted within two months. - 11/11/12

Iranian specialists highly capable for tissue, organ transplant: Dr. Katayoun Najafizadeh

- Zanjan, IRAN- Head of the Iran Transplant Organ Procurement (Iran-TOP) Dr. Katayoun Najafizadeh said on Saturday that Iranian specialists have necessary knowledge and expertise for tissue and organ transplant. - 11/10/12

Iranian medical official chides UN over sanctions

- The head of Iran's Medical Council has written to Ban Ki-moon to protest against the UN General Secreatry's "silence" in view of medical sanctions being imposed on Iran. - 11/8/12

Tehran to host 1st International basic, clinical neuroscience congress

- The First International Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Congress 2012 will be held at Tehran University's Razi Convention Center, from November 7-9. - 11/6/12

Iran's hospitals feel pain of sanctions

- Though the Western-backed sanctions are not meant to target the nation's healthcare industry, the Foundation for Special Diseases says the restrictions have made it more difficult to import medicine and equipment into the country. -Al Jazeera - 11/4/12

Iran accuses West of seeding public discontent

- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told the Mehr news agency: "Sanctions on medical drugs, which are against all accepted international laws, are aimed at putting our people under pressure and creating social and general discontent." - 11/3/12

American and European patients come to Iran for infertility treatment

- Dr. Abotaleb Saremi, in an interview with the Mehr News Agency, said that the cost of infertility based on in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment is much cheaper in Iran than in the U.S. and Europe, therefore patients from these countries tend to choose Iran for treatment. - 10/19/12

Iran sanctions putting patients' lives in danger

- Head of Iran's Charity Foundation for Special Diseases says international sanctions are threatening the lives of 6 million patients suffering from special diseases. - 10/17/12

Iranian Media Say Sanctions Taking Toll On Seriously Ill Patients

- Sanctions imposed on Iran over its controversial nuclear activities are said to be taking a toll on the population, including seriously ill patients who find it increasingly difficult to access needed drugs. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE - 10/16/12

Iran Health Ministry to study effects of interference waves

- Earlier, Health Minister Dastjerdi had said that available research shows no evidence that waves used for jamming satellite signals have any effect on human health. - 10/10/12

World's best neurosurgical center to be built in Tehran

- Professor Madjid Samii, the head of the Fifth International Neurosurgery Symposium, announced late on Thursday that the best neurosurgical center in the world will be built in Tehran. - 10/6/12

Mr. Sadjadpour - why don't you do chemotherapy on yourself?

- In the many years since my father went ill and I've commuted between Kerman and California, I have seen not only the toll of cancer and alzheimers on my father, but also the toll of repression and sanctions on my homeland. -Kazem Soltani, Kerman, Iran - 9/7/12

In Iran, sanctions take toll on the sick

- The tightening of U.S. banking sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program has had an impact on all sectors of the economy but is increasingly hitting vulnerable medical patients as deliveries of medicine and raw materials for Iranian pharmaceutical companies are either stopped or delayed, according to medical experts. -Najmeh Bozorgmehr, Washington Post - 9/5/12

Quake-stricken Iranian children receive drama therapy

- Over 2000 quake-stricken children in East Azarbaijan Province received drama therapy through performances arranged by Iran's Portable Theater Center (PTC). - 8/28/12

Health Minister Stresses Iran's Influential Role in World Science, Technology

- Iranian Health Minister Marziyeh Vahid Dastjerdi appreciated the country's scientific and medical progress despite the western sanctions against Tehran, and described Iran as one of the powerful states in science and technology. - 8/28/12

Warnings Over Khamenei's Order: Waves of Unhealthy Abortions Coming

- The head of Iran's population oversight office at the ministry of health has issued a warning over the growing number of unhealthy abortions in the country. Mohammad Mirzai said there is a wrong perception that by removing the means that are available for abortions, the population of the country will automatically increase. -Mohammad Reza Yazdanpanah - 8/27/12